Rail firm sacks Paddington crash hero

A train company has defended its decision to sack a worker who survived the Paddington rail disaster and was hailed a hero for pulling a friend from a blazing carriage.

Wayne Levy, 35, was fired the day he was named for an award for his bravery in dragging the man out of the burning wreckage despite being seriously injured himself.

The trainee rail booking clerk was a passenger on the commuter train that collided with a First Great Western train outside London's Paddington station in October 1999, killing 31 people.

Mr Levy, who worked for Thames Trains, returned to work at Paddington last August, but he told The Mirror newspaper he suffered flashbacks and had collapsed in shock on his first day back.

He claimed that since then he had taken about six days off work for stress, and was sacked last Friday. The same day, British Transport Police announced Mr Levy had been nominated for a Chief Constable's bravery award to be presented by the Prince of Wales in a ceremony next month.

A police spokesman said they were 'surprised' when a superintendent phoned Thames Trains to break the good news about their employee only to be told he had just been sacked.

Mr Levy, of Balham, south London, broke his hip and suffered hideous cuts to his throat in the crash, but still rescued friend and colleague Michael Rafferty, 37, whose foot was crushed by a flying seat.

Mr Levy told the Mirror: 'This has hit me hard. Technically, they can sack me. Morally, it's wrong. After the crash, my life was in pieces. I was trying to put everything back together, now this happens. It has hit me hard - I was supposed to be the star employee.'

Thames Trains said it had terminated Mr Levy's employment 'for repeatedly failing to report for duty'.

A spokeswoman said: 'From the outset, the company has given Mr Levy every support to assist with coming to terms with the effects of the accident.

"However, there have been repeated occasions when Mr Levy has failed to come to work or report in for his absence.

'We are unable to comment further or go into the full facts of this case as Mr Levy has the right of appeal under agreed company procedures.'